Editor’s note: This commentary is by Julie S. Moore, of Middlesex, the secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and a registered professional engineer with a long history in the field of clean water.
[P]resident Trump’s calls to abandon the Paris Climate Agreement, slash federal funding for clean air and water, and reduce protections for threatened and endangered species have made national headlines, and created grim reading for those who care about protecting the health of our people and our environment.
But, as is often the case, we are charting a different course in the Green Mountain State. Instead of political gamesmanship, Vermonters of different parties and across branches of government are expanding our commitment to clean water.
On June 2, Gov. Phil Scott announced that Vermont will join the U.S. Climate Alliance, a new bipartisan coalition of at least a dozen states committed to meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. More than 200 mayors of U.S. cities have also indicated support for the objectives of the alliance as of June 3, including Burlington and Montpelier. I look forward to continuing to work with partners, both in-state and nationally, to make continued progress on the implementation of Vermont’s Comprehensive Energy Plan and reducing our carbon emissions.
Over the coming months I will be working with Vermonters – both those who make environmental policies and those affected by them – to develop a plan for funding needed investments in clean water over the next two decades.
When it comes to clean water, in his inaugural budget address, Gov. Scott proposed investing $23 million in clean water in the coming year, for a total investment of $55 million in fiscal year 2018 – an increase of nearly 70 percent over fiscal year 2017 levels. The Legislature joined the conversation, passing a budget that came close to the governor’s proposal for a total of $54 million in clean water funding.
Committing to this investment during a very challenging year for our state budget was not easy. It is essential, however, because this money will be used to:
• Build better local roads, which will both produce less pollution and have a stronger resiliency in a changing climate;
• Help farmers produce both clean water and healthy local food for Vermonters from their land;
• Assist towns, business people and property owners in putting new and innovative technology to work so the rain which lands on their roofs and parking lots either stays on-site or leaves as clean as it arrived.
This is the start of a long effort, not the end. Over the coming months I will be working with Vermonters – both those who make environmental policies and those affected by them – to develop a plan for funding needed investments in clean water over the next two decades.
I am encouraged by the resolve and the energy I see in our brave little state. The actions taken by the governor and by lawmakers tell me that even if our federal government pulls back or falters in its commitments to protect and restore the nation’s environmental assets, Vermont is prepared to make necessary investments in continued stewardship in our land, air and water.
